Gypsy King (Tin Gypsy, #1)(14)

“Well, that’s okay.” I held my smile. “I’m new to town anyway, so I’ll probably just ask you a bunch of stupid questions. Are you from here?”

“Yeah. Born and raised. My grandparents bought the Evergreen. They passed it down to my parents. Now I’m taking it over from them.”

“Oh, that’s great. I work with family too. My dad bought the newspaper and I just moved here to work with him. Those first few months were, uh . . .” I bugged out my eyes. “It was an adjustment for us both. Kind of strange to be working for your parent. But now I think we’ve got a groove. He hasn’t threatened to fire me in over a month, and I haven’t thrown my stapler at his head in weeks.”

Dad and I loved working together, but the lie was worth it when Cody chuckled.

“We had some of those days too. There were days when I was pretty frustrated with my parents. Well, maybe not so much me as my wife. She wanted to do some things to fix up the place and they were being stubborn. But eventually we worked it out. The place looks a lot better too.”

“I’m guessing those beautiful flower pots were your wife’s idea.”

His chest swelled with pride. “They were. She’s got a green thumb.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“Yeah.” Cody’s smile dimmed. “My wife, she does housekeeping here. Actually, we trade off days. Friday was her day. She found . . .” He shook his head, his voice lowering. “I don’t know how she’ll ever get over it. My parents are heartbroken. I’m the only one who can stomach working here. Not that I have a choice. We have bills to pay and I can’t turn away reservations. Hell, I’m just glad we have guests.”

“I’m sorry. And I’m so sorry for your wife.” Finding a dead body would leave scars for anyone.

“Thanks.” He fisted his hand on the counter. “I wish I could say I was surprised.”

My ears perked up. “You’re not?”

“That club has never done anything but cause trouble.”

My heart began to race but I did my best to hide my excitement. Cody Pruitt might be the first person in Clifton Forge who would willingly give me information about the Tin Gypsies instead of warning me away. “Have they caused you trouble here before?”

“Not lately. But I went to high school with Dash. He was an arrogant son of a bitch back then. Same as he is now. Him and some friends rented out a couple of rooms from my parents after our senior prom. Trashed them.”

“You’re kidding.” I feigned shock when inside I was doing cartwheels. Finally I’d found someone who wasn’t warning me away from Dash or a founding member of his fan club.

“Nope.”

I waited, wondering if he’d say something more, but Cody’s eyes drifted out the office window, toward the room marked 114. When I’d driven by yesterday, there’d been police tape over the front. Now, it was gone. Unless you knew where it had happened, you wouldn’t guess a woman had been killed across the courtyard.

“Did you see Draven here on Friday?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. My mom was working that night.”

“Did she—”

I was cut off by the rumble of an engine outside. Both Cody and I whipped our heads to the other window in time to see Dash roll into the parking lot on his Harley.

Shit. Great timing, Slater.

Dash parked next to my car and swung his leg off the motorcycle. He was wearing a black leather jacket today and a pair of faded jeans. Just the sight of his long legs and his unruly hair made my heart jump. Damn him. Why couldn’t he have been blond? I’d never had a thing for blonds.

I did my best to keep my breaths even as he strode our way. The last thing I wanted was to have him come in here and see me panting. The flush in my cheeks was bad enough.

I turned my back to the door, keeping my attention on Cody, who was practically seething.

The bell chimed as Dash came inside. His stare burned my backside as it trailed down my spine, yet I refused to turn or acknowledge him as he came to the counter. From the corner of my eye, I saw him slip off his sunglasses.

“Cody.” Dash’s heat hit my shoulder as he leaned his elbows on the counter. “Bryce.”

My name in his voice gave me goose bumps on my skin. I pulled my arms to the side, hiding them from his view. Did he have to be so close? He was less than an inch away and the smell of leather and wind filled my nose. And, damn it, I inhaled a deeper breath.

To hell with you, pheromones.

“Kingston,” I drawled, daring a glance at his profile with my best unaffected stare.

A growl formed deep in his chest, but he didn’t utter any other response. He held my gaze for a moment too long, and then he dismissed me, giving Cody a nod. “How are you?”

“How am I?” Cody’s voice shook. “You have some nerve coming here, Slater.”

“I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“Then leave.”

“Just want to ask you some questions.”

Get in line, pal. “Cody was just telling me that he’s given all the information to the police.”

“That’s right.” Cody pointed to the door. “I have nothing else to say. So unless you want to destroy another room or two, I think it’s best you leave.”